Emma Raducanu, a former US Open champion, claimed that after leading Great Britain past France in the Billie Jean King Cup on Saturday, she is playing the best tennis of her life.
Raducanu overcame a set down to defeat Diane Parry of France 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1), giving her team a safe 3-1 lead and a place in the new-look finals.
Raducanu has been struggling with form and health since impressively winning the US Open in 2021 at the age of 18, and she has failed to advance past the second round of a grand slam. She eventually had surgery in May 2023 on both wrists and one ankle, and she missed Wimbledon and the French Open that year to heal.
Raducanu expressed her thoughts about it and said: “Tennis-wise I have improved because I feel like I am playing the best tennis of my career and my life. To come through the moments that I did the last two days it took a strong character when the whole stadium is pretty much against you.”
She added: “It was pretty incredible inside that stadium. Like, the sound because it’s such an enclosed space, everything feels so much louder. Luckily, I have good practice. Playing on Arthur Ashe [the main US Open stadium] was a similar thing, honestly, especially when they’re all against you. So I honestly wasn’t fazed about the crowd or the sound. I think that doesn’t bother me, which is probably one of my strengths.”
Great to see Emma Raducanu having fun again at a tennis event https://t.co/lD7XaVzWdo
— Simon Briggs (@simonrbriggs) April 14, 2024
Emma Raducanu in 2024
WWWLWWLLWW At the moment ranked no.303, Emma played her last match on the 13th of April when she beat world no.49 Diane Parry 4-6 6-1 7-6(1) in the Rubber 4 in GBR 1 (draw).
This season the Brit owns a compiled 7-5 record.
Emma Raducanu will square off with the world no.332 Angelique Kerber in the 1st round. In the past, they have never played each other so far in top tournaments.
Emma Raducanu |
| Embed from Getty Images |
